Not Aggressive, Just Passive
by HK-47 Scarlet
Summary: Ken was in love with Suguru Fugisaki, but he had no idea how to go about his feelings. After getting the half truth out of Ken, Tachi and Ma-kun decide to give him advice. Be more aggressive? Ken? How? Well, they were going to have to show him.
1. Chapter 1

**Just Passive, not Aggressive (revised; certain things refused to show up in the final product, such as some commas and dashes) **

_Damn it, Tachi. _

I thanked everything good in the world that I had on these shades, because if I hadn't, I knew the look of horror in my eyes would have given me away instantly. My eyes just wouldn't stop twitching with every word Tachi spoke; for a moment I wanted to smack that smug grin off his face before he made things worse than they already were. Honestly, we were lucky Seguchi gave us a second chance, and I _thought_ Tachi was over his obsession with Shindo; why the hell did he keep rivaling him like this?

Tachi and I were great friends, no doubt about it, but right now I wanted to _kill_ him.

He just wouldn't _stop_ spewing crap about Bad Luck, making the lead singer, Shuichi Shindo, very upset. It's not that I particularly cared about what Bad Luck thought about ASK, because I'm sure they don't like us thanks to Tachi.

But that's not what bothered me.

I watched helplessly as Tachi insulted Shindo, something about being 'second' to ASK. The kid only shot back with a retort of his own, something about being 'first.'

Once again, I couldn't care less what Shindo thought; but I did care what _he_ thought. His dark eyes were narrowed at the three of us; he had even made a move to step forward to do heaven knows what, only to be stopped by one of his band mates; Hiroshi Nakano, was his name.

I just _hated_ the thought of him grouping me in with Tachi; again, I love him like a brother, but it's no secret that all of Bad Luck hates his guts, and I'm sure they have no problem lumping me and Ma-kun in with him. Normally, I'd stand right by Tachi and let them think what they want, but not this time.

I don't want _him_ to hate me too, not when I feel so strongly about him.

Suguru Fugisaki; I'm in love with him, and he hates me.

"I said let's go, Ken." Tachi's voice brought me out of my horror. He had been giving me an odd look, almost as if he were asking 'what the hell is wrong with you?' with his eyes.

"Oh, right." I followed him and Ma-kun down the hall, glancing back at Bad Luck as they retreated in the opposite direction; all going back to their own happy world, just as they had been before we bumped in to them.

Suguru had been laughing at something, probably Shindo's antics. I study him a lot, I'll admit it. I can tell he tries to hide when he's amused by Shindo, but I never fail to notice when he cracks a smile after berating him.

I turned back to face where I was going with a small smile of my own stuck on my face; that's when I collided with Tachi, who had been facing me with crossed arms.

The look on his face startled me; it was amazing how a single look from that man could scare the crap out of me.

I glanced at Ma-kun just as he moved in to our studio, shutting the door behind him. Leave it to Ma-kun to leave me alone with Tachi at the worst possible time.

My eyes drifted back to Tachi, who was still giving me that damn look. I _hate_ that look; it makes me feel like spilling everything to him, thinking he'd find out anyway.

Instead, though, I kept my mouth shut and waited for him to speak.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, sounding slightly annoyed with me, though I couldn't figure out why. Maybe he noticed how quiet I was when he confronted Bad Luck; normally I at least snicker at his harsh words.

I arched an eyebrow in an attempt to act as if I didn't know what he was talking about. "What do you mean?"

He didn't let up that stare; in fact, I think it hardened for a moment. He knew I was lying, he always does. I'm not very good at it like he is. Me lying to him is like an inexperienced fighter trying to brawl a world champion.

"Don't give me that Ken. You've been acting weird for the past few weeks, even weirder than Ma-kun." He snorted, probably at the thought of _me_ being weirder than Makun.

I wouldn't say Ma-kun was especially weird; just his outlook on life. He ate whatever he wanted, then complained two minutes later when he felt like crap, only to eat the same thing the next day. He bought the nicest, most expensive of cars once he laid eyes on them, only to _never_ drive them anywhere. He bought a truck load of cloths, only to wear them only once. I don't think I could ever live the same slapdash lifestyle as his.

Okay, maybe he was a little weird.

I averted my gaze to the far end of the hall, looking past him but still acting as if I'm looking _at_ him. He wouldn't be able to tell through my shades; I couldn't show that I was avoiding his eyes. "I didn't realize, sorry."

"You act even weirder around Bad Luck," he pointed out candidly.

I felt my chest tighten; I was horrified about what his reaction would be to me liking someone from Bad Luck, which is why I never told him to begin with. What the hell was with the third degree anyway? It wasn't like Tachi to be this perceptive when it came to anyone that wasn't Bad Luck or_ anyone_ he was obsessing over period. On the other hand, we've known each other for a long time. I suppose he just grew accustomed to my mannerisms. That and he changed a little after that whole business with Seguchi and Bad Luck was over.

Took him long enough.

I tried to conceal my blatant nervousness by attempting to sound as blasé as possible, though I knew I could never match Tachi's laid-back attitude. "Why should I? I don't give a crap about them anyway."

Tachi stared at me for a moment, his expression remaining vacant. I could tell he was studying me. He was trying to tell if I was lying or not, which was his expertise. I don't know what made me think I could get away with it.

The next thing I knew, he reached for my shades and pulled them off. I made a grab for them but he only pulled them away, his eyes boring holes in to my own.

I knew I was screwed.

I tried so hard to lock my eyes with his, without looking away. I felt my eyelids twitch slightly, and I was sure he noticed it.

He kept his stare, not faltering for a moment.

That's when I lost it; my lips twitched in to a smirk, and a few barely audible snickers escaped my lips. I turned away to release them all, hoping to get it out of my system. I oftend laughed when I was nervous; it would always be the peril of any lie I bothered to tell.

"You suck at this, Ken." He chuckled lightly, handing me my shades as he shook his head. "I know I was never the best person to talk about dear diary crap with, but I'd think you'd tell me when something's getting under your skin _this_ much."

I looked at him for a moment before putting my shades back on. It's true, I was able to talk a lot easier with Tachi after we were given a second chance, but the fact of the matter is that there was still plenty of the old Tachi hanging around, and that was enough for me to keep this secret from him.

"It's nothing big," I assured him, lying through my teeth. It was a little easier this time, though, since he wasn't studying me with that intensity that he did before.

"Does Ma-kun know?"

"No." I spoke before thinking; Ma-kun _did_ know, but only because he figured it out himself. He had caught me gazing at a picture of Suguru in a music magazine. There was no way I could deny my feelings for him in the position Makun caught me in. It was so embarrassing; I had this love-struck look in my eyes, and I was stroking the picture with my hands like a freaking' _idiot_!

I felt bad about Ma-kun knowing and not Tachi, but I just couldn't bring myself to tell him.

He looked like he believed me, since he started to walk towards the studio door. He put his hand on the knob, looking back at me as if he realized something.

"If it's not big, then how come he doesn't know?"

_Damn!_

I had forgotten that I told Ma-kun _everything_, simply because the guy was a great listener. It wasn't a trust thing, or a closeness thing; I'm equally close to both Tachi and Ma-kun, and I trust them both with my lives.

A person's secrets just tend to pour out when talking to him, even if they don't intend for them too. Hell, Tachi himself tells him things he wouldn't tell anyone, even me. Neither of us mind; it was just always understood that if we thought one another wouldn't be too interested, then we wouldn't tell each other.

You could talk to Ma-kun about gum and he'd seem interested.

"Just tell me, Ken. Unless you think I'm going to kill you or something."

_You might_. "It's just, uh…" I tried to think of something, anything to tell him. I decided, in the end, to tell the half truth. "I'm in love with someone."

Tachi released the doorknob and crossed his arms, giving me a contemplative look. I just wanted him to say whatever it was he was going to say already.

"That's why you've been acting so weird?" he asked dubiously.

I nodded.

Tachi laughed. "That's all? You would think you'd never…" he trailed off, starring at me as I harbored a look akin to a pout; he stopped making fun of me for the moment and chuckled. "Well, what's her name?"

Tachi? Avoiding a perfectly good joke at someone else's expense? He really has changed, now I'm sure of it. He passed up a perfectly good 'Ken's a virgin' joke. If only the guys in high school could see him now.

"Do I know her?" he asked right after his first question.

I didn't want to give too much away, but I didn't want to lie; just give the half truth. He was still one of my best friends, after all.

"Him," I muttered.

As it turned out, that was the best move I ever made.

"Ah, so that's the _real_ reason why you've been acting funny, hm? You're gay."

I was so grateful that he wasn't making any connection with Bad Luck that I had started to smile again.

"I guess so."

"Well, ask him out already so you can stop acting so weird."

I felt my cheeks turn red, and I started to fumble over my words. The very thought of asking out Suguru Fugisaki frightened the ever living hell out of me. I knew he'd say no anyway, why would he say yes? He thinks I'm a prick, a bastard, a jerk. He thinks I'm like Tachi.

"Uh, he doesn't like me," I mumbled, rubbing the back of my head.

"How do you know?" He arched an eyebrow at me. "Did you tell him?"

I shook my head and frowned. _I don't have to tell him to know. _

Tachi sighed, causing me to look up at him. He walked over to me and laid a hand on my shoulder. "Ken, you just have to be more aggressive."

I looked at his hand, then his face. "What do you mean?"

"I know you, you're too passive. You need to march over to him, and _demand_ he take notice of you."

"Demand?" That word may as well have been foreign to me; I didn't know anything about being aggressive. The closest I've come to being aggressive was when I was angry, and somehow I doubt glaring and shouting was going to get me Suguru Fugisaki.

Another hand patted my back, and I turned to see Ma-kun there with a big goofy grin on his face. My eyes widened at him. "Where did you come from?"

"I was here the whole time, Geez, man. I feel so invisible," he laughed.

"You were listening, weren't you?" I narrowed my eyes, and he just responded with a sheepish chuckle.

I sighed and walked inside our studio, moving over to a chair and sitting down. Ma-kun walked in after me and took the seat beside me, followed by Tachi who merely leaned against a nearby wall.

"What is this guy like?" Tachi asked as he looked at me.

I looked to Ma-kun, who gave me a cheesy grin, then looked to the ground. "Well, he's reserved, quiet, younger…" I trailed off, afraid that I would give too much away. It's not as if he paid attention enough to know Suguru's personality, but I still felt like being careful.

"Yeah," Ma-kun started with a chuckle, "I would take Tachi's advice. A guy like that needs someone to take control, you'll have him so red and flustered, and he won't be able to resist you."

I glared at Ma-kun through my shades; he was doing this on purpose. He knew just what to say to make my mind drift back to Suguru, and now I was picturing him blushing because of _me_.

Despite my glare, which he probably couldn't even see, he continued to speak.

"Yeah, guys like that don't wanna' admit it, but they secretly _like_ someone that's demanding. Just look at that Shindo kid, he's obsessed with Eiri Yuki." He stopped talking, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Don't turn out like him though, or you'll have a Shindo, Eiri Yuki complex."

That thought scared the shit out of me; But, I knew I'd never treat Suguru like that, ever.

"Shindo's stupid, don't use him as an example," Tachi scoffed. "It's simple, next time you see him, be aggressive."

I sighed with frustration. How was I supposed to do that? "I don't understand."

Makun suddenly stood up and looked down at me. "Get up, I'll show you."

I arched an eyebrow at him; show me? "What?"

Ma-kun sighed and grabbed me by the front of my sweater, forcefully pulling me to my feet, causing me to yelp.

"I don't think manhandling is going to work, Ma-kun," Tachi said in a bored tone.

"No duh," Ma-kun replied in response. "I'm going to show him how to be aggressive. You know, what to do to win him over."

My eyes widened; he was _what?_ "You _what?_"

Ma-kun smirked at me and put his hand on my chest, pushing my back against the wall, next to where Tachi stood. He leaned in close to my face and whispered in to my ear. "I said, I'm going to show you."

I gulped, my eyes moving to Tachi, who had a look of amusement on his face. Actually, he looked like he was about ready to laugh.

Ma-kun backed up and grinned at me. "See? That's all you have to do."

Tachi huffed. "What, push him against walls?"

Ma-kun narrowed his eyes at Tachi, crossing his arms. "Yeah, I see guys do it to each other all the time. They like it."

_I know I did._ I only had that thought once, and I vowed to myself never to think that again.

Tachi shook his head. "That's only going to get him so far. He can't just go pushing this guy in to walls, hoping to get in to his pants, idiot."

Ma-kun laughed. "Then by all means, 'master of what gay guys want', show us what you meant."

"Are you crazy?" Tachi asked incredulously.

"Well, you wanna' help Ken, right?" he argued, patting me on the shoulder. I hadn't realized that I was still pressed up against the wall.

Why couldn't _Suguru_ do that to me?

Tachi sighed in irritation, walking in front of my while gently pushing Ma-kun to the side.

"First you have to make eye contact," Tachi said, locking his eyes with my own. I was glad Suguru's eyes weren't so piercing like his, or I would never be able to take my band mates advice.

"Okay," I replied, listening intently.

His voice suddenly got softer. "Speak low, as if you're speaking _only_ for him to hear, no one else. Don't be too quiet, but don't be too loud." He planted his hand on the wall, next to my head. "Look at him and _only_ him, never avert your gaze, not even for a second."

When the hell did Tachi become such a romantic?

I nodded. "Yeah, okay."

He leaned a little closer to me. "Don't get too close so he feels trapped, but don't be too far either. If you're at just the right distance, you'll leave him _wanting_ you to get closer. When it becomes obvious that he wants you to close the distance, then you do it."

I couldn't help but picture Suguru in Tachi's place, though he was a lot shorter than I was. Still, I felt heat rising to my cheeks.

"And don't wear your shades, let him see your eyes. You _want_ him to see the feelings in your eyes."

"Uh-huh," I replied, my voice cracking. I couldn't believe he expected me to try this on Suguru Fugisaki!

I heard someone snickering from beside me, and turned to see Ma-kun holding his hand over his mouth, trying to fight back laughter.

I lost it and started to laugh myself, Tachi doing the same thing after a while.

He moved away from me and crossed his arms, grinning impishly. "What?"

After Ma-kun was able to stifle his laughter, he finally spoke. "The look on Ken's face," he broke out in to more fits of giggles before continuing. "He was _so_ picturing that guy!"

Tachi turned to me and arched his eyebrow. "That means it will work, since you seemed to enjoy it so much."

I looked away, rubbing the back of my head. I was way too passive to try something like this on Suguru, or anyone for that matter, but maybe if I tried I could do it.

"Tachi, you really are the 'master of what gay guys want, huh?" Ma-kun teased, earning himself a glare from Tachi.

"Go to hell, Ma-kun."

I laughed as I watched the two argue over Tachi's sexual orientation; I knew that even if it didn't work out, I'd at least have these two to help me through it, even Tachi.

"Tell me Tachi, how many guys have you bagged?" Ma-kun broke out in to heavy laughter, holding his sides.

"Shut up, Ma-kun! You're an idiot!"

It dawned on me pretty quick; he was so good at it because he wasn't passive, just aggressive.

* * *

A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed it. I feel all of ASK didn't get as much exposure in the series as they should have; I would have liked to have seen the other side to Tachi, and at least _one_ side to Ken and Ma-kun's personalities. Anyway, should inspiration strike me, I may make a sequel with Ken actually using his advice. I was going to do that originally, but this fic ran away with me and wound up being about ASK and _their_ relationship. Pointing out mistakes would be appreciated, FFN likes to mess with the formatting.

Happy Writing!


	2. Chapter 2

**Just Passive, Not Aggressive: Part 2 **

"Come on, Ken. Don't be such a puss-bag."

I glared at Ma-kun as he laughed and patted me on the back, trying to urge me to move from my spot. I wanted to, but my feet were glued to the ground and my mind was drawing a blank.

After a few more 'lessons' from Ma-kun and Tachi, I had felt a little more confident about approaching Suguru. Unfortunately, by the time I saw him, I froze. It was the perfect opportunity too; Bad Luck's Hiroshi Nakano and Shuichi Shindo had left their studio following their manager and producer, leaving Suguru alone. I knew he was in there because I stood down the hall from their studio for twenty minutes trying to think of what to say, and saw him leave for the bathroom and go back inside.

He hadn't even noticed me.

I stood there for about ten more minutes before I spotted Ma-kun walking down the hall; well, he spotted _me_ starring at Bad Luck's studio door with a blank stare is more accurate. He had asked me what was wrong and so I explained everything to him, and of course he only laughed when I told him how horrified I had been right after the burst of courage I got.

I just kept thinking about him rejecting me. I mean, I knew a lot about him from all the observing I did, but I'm sure he didn't know crap about me.

"I can't do it, Ma-kun," I replied softly after being quiet for several minutes.

Ma-kun walked over to the studio door and leaned against it, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "Why not? What's the worst that could happen?"

I sighed; I couldn't believe he wasn't seeing the mass of ways this could go wrong.

"For one, he could reject me. He could laugh at me; he could laugh at me _then_ tell his band mates, _then_ tell other people till it gets back to _Tachi_."

Ma-kun laughed. "C'mon man, you talk about him so much; and from what I heard from _you_, he isn't a douche bag or anything, right?"

I opened my mouth to say something at first, nothing came out. He had a good point; I didn't know _everything_ about him, but I gathered enough information to know he wasn't a jerk. A bit blunt at times, but not a jerk.

"So what's the problem?" Ma-kun asked, stepping away from the door and gesturing for me to go in.

I shook my head, still feeling hesitant about going inside. "What if Tachi finds out?"

Ma-kun sighed exasperatedly. "Ken, _I'll _take care of Tachi, okay?"

I arched my eyebrow, not too pleased with those words of comfort. Whenever Ma-kun said the words 'I'll take care of it', that usually meant trouble. One time he said those exact same words to Tachi in regards to a parking ticket he received; Ma-kun told him he had a guy who made tickets disappear, and told Tachi not to worry about it. Apparently this guy worked at the DMV. Little did Tachi know, Ma-kun hadn't spoken to this guy in two years, and when he went to go see him he found out he had moved on to America.

That didn't end well; despite being able to pay off any ticket that came his way, Tachi had always felt greatly offended whenever he got one. For two reasons, really; one, he got pissed when a cop didn't recognize him and gave him the ticket. Two; Tachi had always felt his driving skills were superb, and that giving him a ticket was a sin.

My point is, nothing good ever came from Ma-kun uttering those words.

"No, Ma-kun, don't do anything, please?" I begged, clasping my hands together and giving him the most convincing puppy dog eyes I could. Too bad I had my sunglasses on.

Ma-kun gave me an odd look. "Are you _afraid _of Tachi?"

"Yes," I replied, "and so are you."

"I am not – okay, maybe I am a little. But still, don't worry about him. Sure he'll be pissed at first, but what's the worst he could do? I mean, sure, he could give you the cold shoulder, glare at you constantly, and yell at you when he finds out, maybe even-"

"Please, Ma-kun, you're making things worse! I beseech you, _stop_." I reached for my hair and gripped the dark strands, nearly pulling them out. I knew Ma-kun meant well, but he was only stressing me out. Sure, he was a great listener, but he sucked at giving advice. Believe it or not, that was more of Tachi's thing. I suppose I was good at comforting, but I couldn't comfort myself.

"You're so over dramatic," Ma-kun muttered. "You just need a nudge, since you're not gonna' do anything yourself."

I looked up at Ma-kun, releasing the vice grip I had on my hair and letting my hands fall down to my sides.

A nudge? Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea, maybe I really _did_ need someone to push me in the right direction.

"You think?" I asked, sounding a little unsure.

Ma-kun nodded. "Yeah."

"What kind of nudge?" I asked inquisitively.

"I was thinking something along the lines of this." Ma-kun knocked on Bad Luck's door before promptly running down the hall.

I stared in disbelief; did he just do what I think he did? I had tried to call his name, but nothing came out, I was speechless.

Before I had the chance to run away, the door opened.

I froze, but this time I _really_ froze. I always thought it was silly when people said they 'couldn't move', but then I knew what it felt like. It was as if my mind shut down, and the signals from the nerves in my legs just stopped moving, never making it to my brain.

I didn't know what to say, especially when Suguru gave me that look, as if he had been put out by me being there in front of his door. That's what comes from being associated with Tachi Aizawa.

"You're from ASK," he deadpanned, turning around and walking back inside the studio. He hadn't shut the door like I thought he would, so I followed him inside. He moved behind his keyboard and started to rearrange some sheet music before speaking again. "Is there something you wanted?"

I couldn't think of a thing to say, not even if my life depended on it. All I was able to do was stare at him as he sat on his stool behind his keyboard, marking something on his sheet music with a red pen. He was just so reserved; he acted older than me, and I was a few years older.

When I hadn't replied, he looked up from his papers, still keeping that same blank expression he had on his face. He reminded me of Seguchi, which is to be expected I suppose. They _are _related, after all.

Still, it was a little creepy.

"Is there something you wanted?" he asked again, arching an eyebrow at me.

God, he was hot.

I tried to think of something to say, a reason for me to be there. Only one thing came to mind. "I wanted to talk to you," I mumbled, not able to speak my normal volume.

"Oh? Is this regarding Aizawa and Shindo?"

I shook my head. "No, it has nothing to do with them." I smacked myself mentally; that was actually a pretty good excuse. "Well, I _did _want to apologize on his behalf. He doesn't mean the things he says, he's just so insecure. He's been like that since high school, really." I stopped talking, realizing that if Tachi ever found out I told _anyone _this, he'd kill me.

Suguru stared at me for a couple of seconds before flashing me a warm smile. I felt my heart flutter to life as a wave of heat ran through my whole body. His smile was just so calming to look at, not to mention hot.

"Well, I'll be sure to tell Mister Shindo and Nakano what you said." He bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, uh, I didn't get your name…" he trailed off as he rubbed the back of his head.

He didn't know my name; that hurt on so many levels. Sure, we had never spoken before, but we worked in the same building for a while now. He _had_ to have known my name by now, right?

"Ken," I replied quietly, trying my best to hide the hurt in my voice.

"Oh, well, thank you. I hope this silly rivalry will calm down now." He smiled again and went back to marking his papers.

_What am I doing? I need to say something more. _

"F-Fugisaki?"

He continued what he was doing without looking up at me. "Hm?" was his indication for me to continue.

"I was wondering, I-I always admired – I mean, I like your skills, ya' know, on the keyboard and synthesizer and all. Um, maybe you'd like to – I don't know – have coffee with me or something – so we could discuss it!" I wanted to grab the nearest sharp object and plunge it in to my throat for coming up with such a lame attempt to ask him out, even if it was true.

Suguru looked up at me; he looked surprised, and I honestly couldn't blame him. I must have sounded so stupid. "Uh, coffee?"

I felt my heart hammering against my ribcage; I thought it was going to burst from my chest. "Y-Yeah, to like, talk about-"

"Sure," he interrupted me, flashing me another smile. This one was different, though. It wasn't as sweet as the last one; it reminded me of Seguchi's smile. Again, it was very creepy.

Of course, the creepy feeling quickly dispersed once I realized _Suguru Fugisaki _had just agreed to have coffee with me. "Great," I replied a bit too excitedly. "Uh, when's good for you?"

"I can leave now," he answered as he stacked his papers together.

"Now?"

He nodded. "That's if you're not busy now."

"Of course not," I answered quickly. I hadn't even thought about it; Of course, I didn't feel ready to go out with him at the moment. I felt I needed time to prepare; a day, week, hell a _month_ wouldn't have been enough time, but I also couldn't help but jump at the opportunity. "I just, uh – I just need to get some stuff together first. Meet me outside the building?"

"Sure," he nodded with a smile.

I nearly melted; of course, I had realized that standing there and melting in to a puddle of goo would do me no good. It would only make me look like an even bigger idiot than I did before. At that point I was focused on one thing; finding Tachi and Ma-kun.

I had run all the way to the break room where I found Ma-kun and Tachi lounging around; well, Ma-kun was lounging while Tachi was working on his lyrics. They had both looked up from there respective spots in the room, eyeing me oddly.

"What's wrong with you?" Tachi arched an eyebrow at me from his spot at the table, a cup of what looked like coffee in his hand. He had been in the midst of writing when I busted through the door.

Ma-kun threw the magazine he had been reading on the table in front of Tachi, taking a seat across from him. He was grinning at me widely. "Did ya' ask him out?"

Tachi looked to Ma-kun before looking back to me; I just nodded dumbly.

Ma-kun's grin grew wider. "Alright! What'd he say?"

"H-He said yes," I mumbled.

Tachi stared at me for a moment longer before his lips pulled back in to a smirk. "So, you tried out that advice?"

I shook my head, realizing that I hadn't used _any _of their advice. I had been so scared of what Suguru would think, besides; I think that advice would be better suited for the date itself, if you could call it a date.

"I just asked him to go have coffee, to discuss, uh, business."

Ma-kun's left eye twitched. "Wow, you chickened out big time."

Tachi brought his cup of coffee to his lips, taking a small sip. "As long as he actually _did_ it, then that's all that matters." He looked up at me. "When are you going out with him?"

"Uh, now?" I replied sheepishly.

Both their eyes widened.

"Then what are you doing _here_?" Tachi asked with incredulity.

"Yeah," Ma-kun nodded in agreement. "Go, now!"

"But, I don't know what to do or say on a date with _him_!"

"Who is this guy anyway?" Tachi asked as he took another sip from his cup. "He works here?"

I hadn't even realized what I said before; apparently, Tachi did. "Yeah, he does – he doesn't do anything big, though." I felt so stupid; Tachi wouldn't believe me. And, even if he did, it wouldn't' last long. He's not an idiot.

He looked at me with something that could only be described as skepticism. "Ken, just used the advice we gave you. Man up."

I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly. "I can't just go ahead and do _that_. I need to know what to _say_ too."

"Where is he?" Ma-kun asked.

"He's getting ready to leave; we're going to meet in the front of the building. He thinks I'm getting my stuff together now."

"Well," Ma-kun began with a grin, "you are." He pulled out a chair next to him and patted the seat. "We'll help you out, right Tachi?"

"Hurry up, we don't have all day."

I took the seat Ma-kun had pulled out and waited for one of them to begin.

Tachi took another sip, this one a bit longer than usual. Good; that meant he was thinking. He had always said coffee helped him clear his head, and often drank some when he was planning something. "First, you let him lead the conversation."

Ma-kun nodded. "Yeah, that way you can gather what he likes and talk about that."

I nodded as well, listening intently. These two combined were the best when it came to advice on this subject. Tachi knew the technicalities of a date and such, while Ma-kun knew a lot about actually charming a person.

Ma-kun continued. "Always ask questions about what he's talking about, even if you know the answer or don't care. But don't ask too many questions; just about the things he seems interested in the most."

As I listened, I couldn't help but wonder if Ma-kun used all that crap on me and Tachi whenever we droned on and on about whatever; no wonder why he always seemed like a good listener.

"Make eye contact," Tachi started when Ma-kun was finished. "It will build a sense of trust. They say if you make eye contact for exactly three minutes, the body releases something that makes the person feel closer to you."

Ma-kun and I stared at Tachi with a look of surprise for a few minutes before he arched his eyebrow at us.

"What?"

"Where do you get this stuff, Tachi?" Ma-kun asked.

"Never mind, just do it."

I nodded. _I never realized, Tachi knows the weirdest things. _

"Is that all?" I asked.

Tachi nodded. "The rest is up to you, now go."

I felt my heart hammer against my ribcage again, like before. I wasn't ready, and I knew it; I just didn't think I could do it.

When Tachi saw that I wasn't moving, he narrowed his eyes and stared at me fiercely. "Well?"

I knew what he was doing; he always knew that his glares would send me running for the hills, but not this time. I was set on my decision to sit there and _not _move.

"Go, now," Tachi ordered.

I always forgot how scary he could be; I hadn't even realized that I was walking out the door and down the hall.

"Good one, Tachi."

"Thanks."

* * *

As soon as I walked out of the building I noticed Suguru leaning against the tree a few feet away from the entrance. It was actually the only tree on the entire property. I tentatively approached him before stopping a few feet away, suddenly feeling scared out of my wits again. I just needed a _few_ more minutes to gather myself before walking up to him; just a _little_ more time.

Too bad I wasn't going to get that time.

"Are you going to just stand there and stare all day?" he asked with a light chuckle as he turned his head in my direction.

I felt heat rise to my cheeks as I moved a little closer.

_Remember what the guys told you, Ken_.

"So – uh, I thought maybe we could take my car?"

"Sounds like a plan," he replied with one of his smiles; the same smile that makes me long for so much.

We both walked to my car, which was parked somewhere outside the building, right in front of Tachi's car. I instinctively opened the door to the passenger's side for him, feeling like a complete jackass. The more I thought about it, the dumber I felt. It made things all the more obvious; what straight guy would open a _door_ for another guy?

He gave me a calculating glance for the briefest of moments before smiling and getting inside.

I walked around the car and got in to the driver's seat, trying my hardest not to look at him. I thought with my shades on I would be more immune to his stares, but I wasn't.

"Any place in mind?" he asked as I started the car.

I thought about it for a moment; I didn't even have an idea of where to take him. I decided that I would let him pick, so that way he would be guaranteed a decent cup of coffee. "You pick, I've tried them all." I was surprised out how calm I sounded; maybe there was hope for me yet.

After watching Suguru contemplate for a few minutes, he recommended a place called 'Dark Delight,' apparently famous for its black coffee. The name was weird as hell, but I didn't complain. He could have recommended a whore house and I would've been okay with it.

Just so long as I was there with him.

It was a nice place; small and cozy with small booths built for two, some built for four. I was a little surprised when he led me to one of the smaller ones, built for two. It looked like something for lovebirds; you'd have to sit within a pretty close proximity with the person you shared it with. I had never seen a booth that forced two people to sit side by side before, and it made me nervous.

Once we sat down, a waitress came over and took our orders. Suguru ordered the black coffee, while I ordered a cappuccino. We had sat in silence until she came back with both our orders, which only took about five minutes. Still, it was the longest five minutes of my life.

"So," Suguru broke the silence as he stirred his coffee with a small spoon. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

I honestly didn't know how to answer that; what would I tell him? In the end, I knew that I had to follow Tachi's advice and man up. I just wasn't sure exactly what 'manning up' entailed.

_I'll just take it one step at a time_. "Well, honestly," I started, my voice low, "I wanted to, you know, get to know you a little better."

"Hm?" He leaned a little closer, as if we weren't close enough. "I can't hear you, what was that?"

I wanted him to close the distance, but he wouldn't. Apart of me was harboring the idea of speaking lower so that maybe he'd lean in a little further. I didn't do that of course, I wasn't that brave.

"I said, I wanted to get to know you." I looked at him, noticing right away that he was trying to make eye contact. That must have been a trait he shared with Seguchi. When I realized I still had my shades on, I quickly took them off and set them on the table. When I moved my gaze to him, his eyes locked with mine.

I definitely felt like my heart was going to leap out my throat and hit him in the face.

He smiled, and I inwardly swooned. "Oh, I see." And just like that, he moved away, going back to stirring his coffee. "I think it's a little strange, but you understand, right?"

I arched an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"

"You're risking quite a bit, I'm sure. I mean, I'm sure Aizawa would flip if he saw you associating with a member of Bad Luck."

I chuckled nervously, trying hard to think of a way to change the subject. "Would Shindo flip too?"

Suguru had lifted his cup to take a sip when I asked that question, and had stopped, holding his cup of coffee a few inches from his face.

His eyes twitched. "It's hard to predict how Mister Shindo would react to _anything_. It would probably be over dramatic, that much I know."

I chuckled lightly. "He's weird, but he can sing."

Suguru took the sip he had halted a few seconds ago before setting the cup back down on the table. "True. If he weren't so pig headed things would be a lot easier on the rest of us."

I laughed, suddenly thinking about Tachi. "Well, if it helps, Tachi can be a handful to. He's kind of a pre-Madonna."

Suguru arched an eyebrow. "I would've never guessed."

I quickly realized what I had said and mentally smacked myself. "Just, don't say anything. Tachi's also kinda' scary."

Suguru laughed. It was such an amazing sound to listen to, and I was so grateful that _I _was the one to incite it. Even if it was at Tachi's expense.

"Uh, Fugisaki-"

"Suguru," he interjected, taking another sip from his coffee.

"Oh, um, Suguru – I have to be honest…" I trailed off, not sure how to say what I wanted. I felt a lot more comfortable around him then I did before, and I wanted to say what I had originally set out to say. Before I was so scared of him rejecting me; at that point I wanted to get it over with. If I had a chance with him, I wanted to get to that point as soon as possible.

"With what?" he inquired, turning to face me.

_How should I say this?_ It was then that I decided to try out Tachi's advice. I moved my arm to rest it on the back of the chair, only to realize he had done the same thing. Because of that, my arm was on top of his. In fact, he had even moved a little closer like I had planned on doing.

If I didn't know any better, I would have thought he was using the same moves on me that I was going to use on him.

_Nah_.

Embarrassed, I quickly withdrew my arm, but he moved his on top of mine and held it there. I knew at that moment that my cheeks were as red tomatoes.

"Well? Ken?"

I couldn't be too sure, but it sounded like he had said my name with a hint of seduction lacing his words; that could've just been my imagination running away with me again.

I had opened my mouth to say something when I felt his fingers messaging my arms through their sleeves; after that, I was pretty sure all chances of me forming a coherent sentence flew out the window. Was he hitting on me? Could it be that he was actually interested?

_That can't be; the look he gave me when I showed up at his band's studio, like he didn't want me there._

Damn, I just wanted him to close the distance already! I felt like, maybe I should kiss him, but I was still afraid he'd look at me as if I were insane; or worse, disgusting.

He chuckled lightly. "Ken, I already know how you feel."

My eyes widened; I was sure they were going to pop out their sockets. I didn't even bother to wonder _how_ he knew because I was so busy thinking, _Holy shit, he knows. _

His smile widened and he started to laugh, probably at how stupid I looked, I assumed.

I looked away, my eyes landing on a random stranger sitting down having coffee. I wanted to look anywhere but at his face, too afraid of what he would say to me. I did _not_ want to look at him while he turned me down, or made fun of me.

_Would_ he really mock me, though? Was he really hitting on me? Was he just playing with my head, or did I imagine it all?

"Ken." His voice was stern, as if he were commanding me to look at him.

Still, I refused. That is, until the stranger I had fixed my gaze on started glaring at me for starring. I was so embarrassed that I turned away, my eyes moving back to Suguru.

I was such a mess.

"How'd you know?" I asked softly, trying to keep my voice under control.

"It was painfully obvious you had feelings for me. Shuichi Shindo himself would have been able to tell."

"That's embarrassing," I chuckled lightly.

"Very embarrassing," he smiled. "Frankly, I don't how you're still here. If it were me, I'd be mortified."

I laughed nervously; at this point my eyes were everywhere but on him. "Yeah." My reply came back lower than a whisper; in fact, I'm pretty sure I just mouthed the word.

Suguru's hand ran up my arm, making its way to my face where it cupped my cheek. I thought I was going to throw up I was so nervous. The only thing that kept me from doing that was the thought of blowing chunks all over Suguru.

I tried my best to look at him, but found my eyes settling on his chest. I wasn't ready to look in to his eyes just yet.

"You're lucky I return those feelings, or this would be even _more _embarrassing for you."

_He really is blunt_, I thought. It took me a couple of minutes to register what he had said, and when I did, my eyes finally darted upward to meet his gaze. "You what?"

His thumb caressed my cheek; I was eternally grateful that I hadn't drunk any of my cappuccino then, or it definitely would have ended up all over his nice cloths. I know it's sick, but being covered in my bile wouldn't detract from his handsomeness. But, that thought disturbed me somewhat so I had decided to focus on _him_.

He arched an eyebrow at me, the corners of his lips twitching for a moment. "I thought it was pretty obvious," he replied in mild disbelief, removing his hand much to my disappointment.

"Huh?" It seemed as if my mind wasn't allowing me to come up with anything halfway intelligent to say.

Suguru gave me an odd look; a look I've seen him give his band mates every now and then. I must have said something stupid to warrant a look like that; but I didn't mind so much, that look was cute. "Two seated booth? The fact that I didn't give you a look when you opened the door for me? The very fact that I'm _here_, risking facing Shindo's wrath."

"You're afraid of him?"

"No," he replied defensively. "He's scary in his own way, sure – that's not the point though. I mean, _look_ at me. I don't do this with any guy or girl you know."

_Was he trying to hint his feelings for me this whole time? _It was then I realized exactly _what_ kind of position we were in; needless to say, I felt like an even bigger jackass than when I opened the door for him. How could I not see it?

He continued when he saw the look on my face; one that I'm sure told him how embarrassed I was. "I'm in control of my own life; I don't need some dumb feud to tell me who I can or can't see."

In all honesty, that attitude of his is what drew me to him in the first place. He was always so calm, cool, collected; he _knew_ what he wanted, and when he _did_ want something he wouldn't let anyone tell him he couldn't have it. He truly _was_ in control of his own life.

I wished I could be like him.

"Suguru," I managed to choke out.

He smiled at me again; this one a lot warmer. "Yeah?"

I took a deep breath; I was afraid of what he'd think of me if I said this. Hell, he'd probably think I was a giant dweeb.

"Please, don't tell Tachi."

His lips twitched, along with his eyes. "You're scared of him," he deadpanned.

I nodded. "Very much so." There was no way I could ever deny being afraid of Tachi Aizawa. I knew I would have to tell him eventually, but for now, I just wanted to enjoy the moment without having to think about it.

"How brave," he replied sarcastically. After a few seconds, he smiled at me again. "I don't like the idea of hiding something from anyone, but," his eyes seemed to have a glint, harboring a look of mischief. "I guess that just makes it more exciting."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing; I suppose I didn't even need Tachi and Ma-kun's advice. I didn't _have _to be forward; Suguru was doing a pretty good job of that himself.

A thought had hit me, and I found myself asking before thinking about it. "How long – you know, did you feel this way – about me?"

He appeared thoughtful for a moment. "Well, to be honest I didn't really notice you until recently. After seeing the way you always looked at me-"

"You mean you noticed _before_ today?" I asked in shock.

He smirked. "How could I not? You may have thought those shades of yours would hide the intense stares you gave me, but they didn't."

Well, didn't I feel like the supreme king of idiocy. I actually _thought_ the shades would hide those looks I gave him. "Oh," I chuckled sheepishly.

Suguru chuckled lightly and stood up, looking down at me. "Let's go," he said in a commanding yet soothing voice.

I arched an eyebrow at him, slightly confused. "Go where?"

"It's still early; we may as well take this time to get to know each other better."

I tried to hide the red that I was sure tinted my cheeks by looking away. I already knew a lot about him just by studying him alone, which was a little embarrassing the more I thought about it. It would be weird to listen to him speak about all these things that I already knew.

I had remembered what Ma-kun had told me, about me about pretending to be interested, even if I'm not. I supposed it would apply here as well; I would just ask questions that I already knew the answer to, so it would look like I really didn't know.

_I wonder if he would think I'm a stalker for knowing so much about him_.

I stood up and looked down at Suguru, who had been smiling at me. He hooked his arm with mine and led me to the door.

"How about the park?" he asked me as we walked out of the small café.

I nodded. "Sounds good."

On the way to the park Suguru had begun to talk about random little things, though I couldn't concentrate being so close to him. I was just so lost in the feel of our close proximity to each other that his words went in to one ear and out the other.

Eventually Suguru unhooked his arm from mine and put his hand on my shoulder and gently pushed down so I was forced to bend slightly. He spoke in to my ear, whispering lightly. "Ken, you're spacing out again."

I felt shivers down my spine for the hundredth time that day as many different parts of my body reacted to his breath against my ear. I quickly straightened up and rubbed the back of my head, chuckling sheepishly. "Oh, sorry."

He just smiled at me. "Don't be sorry, just don't let it happen again, or else."

His tone was light, but had that dangerous undertone that Seguchi often had. I really didn't like when he did that; it was creepy, a lot like the boss of NG.

After a couple of seconds, he laughed lightly. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

It took me a minute to regain my composure before I laughed as well. Though, from anyone else's perspective it looked like I was laughing out of fear more than anything else. I wasn't afraid of Suguru, just Seguchi, and sometimes Suguru reminded me of him.

But, I knew I'd get over it. It was well worth it to be with him.

Suguru Fugisaki; I was definitely in love with him. He was worth the embarrassment of asking Tachi and Ma-kun for advice, even though I didn't really need it.

Actually, it almost seemed as if Suguru had been using those 'techniques' on me. That seemed pretty passive aggressive of him, which wouldn't surprise me one bit.

"Ken, we should move now, unless you want to see what happens when I'm inpatient?" Suguru used that tone again as he smirked and started to walk down the sidewalk.

I smiled to myself.

It seemed we were opposites, but I figured it could still work out. He was passive aggressive, not aggressive.

And me? Well, I was just passive, not aggressive.

"Sorry, I'm coming." And with that, I followed him.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, that's that. Thanks to those who've read or reviewed, I really appreciate it! I have decided to make more fics that are apart of this one; they may not focus on this couple, but the couple will be in the fic. Kinda' like a continuation, but not really. This one may have a sequal though. Anyway, Happy Writing!


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